At the close of a week that has celebrated Daniel Alfredsson’s 16-year Ottawa career, the venerable Senators captain did not disappoint, scoring twice, including a gorgeous solo effort that had coaches and players on both sides stopping to applaud mid-game. As Alfredsson stood at the faceoff circle, unable to contain his grin, fellow Swedes Henrik and Daniel Sedin tapped their hockey sticks in tribute, as the familiar ‘Beautiful Day,’ Alfredsson’s U2 goal song, filled Scotiabank Place.

Afterward, Alfredsson termed the week-long adoration from fans and fellow players “almost overwhelming.”

Beautiful Day it was, to cap a terrific week for the all-star festival in the Nation’s Capital. As it did when the 2009 World Junior Championships took over the city and region, Ottawa at large demonstrated a capacity for staging the large event.

“The whole weekend has been beyond what I expected as far as the amount of electricity in the air,” said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. “The people stepped up and really became ambassadors for the city of Ottawa.”

And if the weather didn’t always co-operate, limiting some of the events planned for the Rideau Canal, organizers and revelers adapted and made the best of it. Melnyk himself kept his skates on the sidelines.

“I had my skates sharpened just before I got on the plane,” said Melnyk, laughing. “I was looking forward to spending a lot of time on the ice and it just didn’t happen.”

It happened elsewhere this week, though, happened on the streets and in the bars and hotel lobbies.

Especially, it happened at Fan Fair, where the crush of people was so enormous on Saturday afternoon, potential attendees would have demolished Convention Centre fire regulations had they all been allowed in.

As it was, fans made like sardines inside the building, grinding through the masses to find hockey heroes and hockey souvenirs. As if his ego needed a boost, retired forward Jeremy Roenick received the rock star treatment and even ex-Senator Tom Chorske was mobbed.

Kids walked out of the building armed with autographs on programs, hockey cards, jerseys and even the plaster casts of injured minor hockey players.

Between Thursday and Saturday, nearly 30,000 people attended Fan Fair at the new Convention Centre, where so many NHL all stars and former players were milling around it was all but impossible not to meet and greet a hero of some degree.

All access all the time, might have been the theme. To an unprecedented degree, players were available to fans and media off the ice and via miked-up situations during the fantasy pool draft, skills competition and Sunday’s game.

Who didn’t enjoy hearing Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price chirp fellow goalie Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings for a casual effort during the fastest skater competition.

“Did you get your heart rate over 80?” Price asked Howard.

“It’s for the fans, everything we do the whole week is for the fans to enjoy,” said Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul, who endured the heat of a few boorish fans during Thursday’s fantasy draft.

“It’s about more than the game,” Lupul said. “Being miked during a game shows fans another side of the guys.”

The week was a success from all perspectives.

“Whether it was at the rink or in the city, you could feel the atmosphere,” said Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks, warmly received by his former teammates and fans in Ottawa. “It was well organized and we had so much fun. When I found out the game was here, I was looking forward to it because it’s not just another game, but a special place to come.”

His fellow Senators on Team Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek, were honoured to bring the world to Ottawa at the same time as sharing Alfredsson with the world. Having played in this city, Senators understand the privilege, Spezza said, but by having most of the greatest players in the game here is “a thank you to a great hockey city.”

Nobody felt more special than Alfredsson, who said he may have to wait until his four kids were tucked into bed before he could put what he called a “surreal” personal experience into perspective.

“You don’t dream of anything like this,” Alfredsson said. “You don’t know how to embrace it, really.”

Melnyk said he will be thrilled if Alfredsson embraces it by doing what he does best – playing the game in this town for at least one more season.

“We are looking,” Melnyk said, “at a living legend.”

As they departed SBP on a feel-good Sunday, hockey fans agreed.

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